Afternoon roundup: Should Norwood be running down kicks?

Not sure I'm sold on the idea of having running back Jerious Norwood on the kick coverage unit. Sure, he's probably the fastest guy on the team and he made two tackles on Sunday. But, with Norwood and Michael Turner, the Falcons might have one of the NFL's top backfields (in terms of a 1-2 punch). Is it worth exposing Norwood to possible injury on special teams?

PANTHERS

Although a statement about Chicago's offense that Muhsin Muhammad claims was taken out of context caused a stir earlier this week, the veteran receiver had plenty of praise for the Chicago defense.

Tight end Dante Rosario, suddenly the most famous man in Charlotte, returned to practice today. The bad news is that guard Travelle Wharton, one of Carolina's most underrated players, still isn't practicing because of a knee injury.

SAINTS

Defensive tackle Hollis Thomas was given an injury settlement. That means the Saints, or any other team, can sign him if he recovers from his triceps injury before the season ends.

The Bucs announced their home opener won't be blacked out on local television, even though some "scattered" seats remain. Think there would be any "scattered" seats if the Bucs had been able to land Brett Favre?